CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Grays Armory Museum is opening a special exhibit honoring Air Force veteran and WEWS royalty Paul Wilcox this Saturday.
News 5 spoke to Wilcox's daughter, Rory Davies, who said her father was as Cleveland as one can get.
"I would say that he was Cleveland personified," said Davies. "He was proud, he was kind, he was tough— and you know in Cleveland, you gotta be tough."
Wilcox was enlisted in the Army Air Corps for World War II and was called back by the Air Force for the Korean War. The decorated veteran was a first lieutenant, a navigator and experienced multiple missions—being shot down on the last.
"Because he didn't talk about it so much, it was more remarkable," Davies said.
He was a prisoner of war for months and presumed dead— but he was actually alive and ended up returning home.
When Wilcox got back to Cleveland, he received a phone call that changed his life— and possibly yours, too!
Wilcox did news and weather, was a sportscaster, and famously hosted Polka Varieties, which aired on News 5.
"Everybody of a certain age knows my father in Cleveland, but they don't know the back story," Davies said.
Luckily, Wilcox left his medals, his diary and history behind. Now, Clevelanders can experience it.
"It's really wonderful that it's not being lost, that it's going to be preserved because it's a pretty incredible archive," said Jennifer Souers Chevraux, a curator who helped with the exhibit.
Davies donated her father's belongings to the museum in Downtown Cleveland, where they will be part of the museum's permanent rotating display.
"I think it's very moving to (Rory) to see her dad's history displayed this way," said Souers Chevraux. "That's, in large part, due to her passion to tell his story, really. And to keep that flame going."
The museum and the Wilcox Family will celebrate the opening of Paul Wilcox's exhibit on Saturday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 1234 Bolivar Road.
The event is free and open to the public. Live music, refreshments and tours of the museum will be provided for attendees.
For any questions, contact 216-621-5983.
